Australia sweep spiritless England aside T4D4

Australia 204 & 2/231 (51.5ov,Rogers 116/155b/13x4, Watson 83*/90b/11x4) def England 255 & 179 by 8 wkts; Ashes T4/5 D4/5 at MCG. Man of the Match: Mitchell Johnson. Australia lead series 4-0.

England barely resisted Australia's march to victory. Chris Rogers and Shane Watson swept an inept, and ineptly handled, attack aside ( why did Joe Root bowl before Monty Panesar?) and took advantage of some slack fielding to deliver another convincing victory to Australia. A victory which for two days seemed improbable, but at the end seemed, in the light of England's record so far  this antipodean series, inevitable.

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England take lead then fall apart : T4D3

Australia 204 (82.2ov, Haddin 65/68b/1x6 7x4, Rogers 61, Anderson 4/67, Broad 3/45, Bresnan 2/24)   & 0/30 ( 8ov) need another 201 runs with all 2nd inns wickets in hand to defeat England 255 & 179 (61ov, Cook 51/64b/7x4, Pietersen 49/90b/6x4, Lyon 17-3-50-5, Johnson 15-5-25-3);Ashes T4/5 D3/5 at MCG.

After England gained a 51 run lead which, thanks to Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon , wasn't as large as looked likely overnight, its middle order imploded, leaving Australia a relatively modest 231 to go 4-0 ahead in the series.

Only Alistair Cook, who got the innings off to a positive start, and Kevin Petersen, grittier than usualuntil he ran short of good partners p didn't let their side down badly. Poor strokes (Ian Bell's ultra soft first ball dismissal the worst) and sloppy running between wickets helped the Australians, led by Nathan Lyon & -you guessed it -Mitchell Johnson, back into the Test.

Why should be the final day of the match should be a tight struggle, but England, who looked

crestfallen in the field during the 8 overs they bowled before stumps, will need to regroup overnight. Australia will need to improve with the bat, and bat sensibly on a pitch which, if wearing a little, is by no means unplayable.

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England bowlers turn Test around as Australia's batting collapses: Ashes T4 D2

Australia 9/164 (73.3ov, Rogers 61/171b/8x4, Haddin 43*/49b/1x6 5x4, Anderson 16-4-50-3, Broad 16.3-5-30-3, Bresnan 18-6-24-2) trail England 255 (100ov, Pietersen 71/161b/1x6 5x4, Johnson 24-4-63-5, Harris 24-8-47-2) by 91 with 1 1st inns wkt in hand.

When Mitchell Johnson, carrying on from where he left off on D1, scythed through England's remaining batting cheaply in the morning session, it seemed as if this Test was following the script of the first three matches. That Kevin Pietersen, who failed to continue in his D1 resolute mode, was one of Johnson's victims, further reinforced this perception. 255 looked an inadequate total on a wicket which seemed to be playing well, if not as quick as the WACA one.

Yet that was where the similarities ended - except that for the first time since the opening day of this series England's attack bowled like Australia's: as a disciplined group. By doing so they exposed some frailties (both known and suspected)  of the home batting. Just when a century was needed to underpin a respectable response none was forthcoming. 

After the four top order series-to-date century makers fell (having added 48 runs between them) Chris Rogers, who'd ground his way to 61, played a loose stroke to Tim Bresnan, leaving Australia in strife at 5/112. Despite some characteristic aggression from Brad Haddin wickets fell regularly as the bowlers maintained their stranglehold. At stumps England were, in spite of their morning session meltdown, firmly on top: the first time in the series that, after two days' play, this can be said. 

In the day 13 wickets fell for 193 from 84.3 overs. Another day for the Test cricket aficiando, of whom there must have been a good number among the 71,000+ spectators. With the bowlers of both sides on top so far Australia will have its work cut out to avoid defeat. 

 

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Only Pietersen stands firm as England crumble against tight Australia bowling: Ashes T4 D1

England 6/226 (89ov, Pietersen 67*/152b/1x6 4x4, Carberry 38, Harris 20-8-32-2, Johnson 20-2-59-2) v Australia; T4/5 D1/5 at MCG. Australia won toss and sent England in. Australia unchanged, England Swann (ret) and Prior replaced by Panesar and Bairstow.

91,092 spectators turned up at the MCG to watch what turned out to be a day for the connoisseur of Test cricket, rather than the run feast which many of them may have wished for.

England, somewhat surprisingly sent in by Michael Clarke, never dominated an attack in which Ryan Harris was outstanding throughout while Mitchell Johnson came back late in the day to take two wickets. Only Kevin Pietersen, batting more responsibly than he's done hitherto in the series and riding his luck, stands in the way of Australia's dominance.

Pietersen aside, the England batting was poor: each of the top seven got a start of sorts ( if reaching double figures counts as a start), five of them got to 24 but Michael Carberry's 38 was the second best. Good as the bowling was, slipping from 1/96 to 6/226 was a weak effort.

There were times during the first half of the day when, as England gutsed it out, Iquestioned the wisdom of Clarke's decision to field. But by stumps his bowlers had more than vindicated his choice.

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Stokes century keeps England sort of in game until Johnson and Lyon wrap up Ashes and series after lunchT3D5

Australia 385 & 6/369 dec def England 251 & 353 (103.2ov. Stokes 120/195b/1x6 18x4, Bell 60, Pietersen 45, Johnson 25.2-6-78-4, Lyon 22-5-70-3) by 150 runs T3/5 D5/5 at WACA Perth. Australia lead series 3-0 and therefore regain Ashes. Man of the match: Steve Smith.

Ben Stokes who , on the evidence of his appearance in Adelaide, I didn't rate as a Test no6 batsman, proved me wrong with a pugnacious century which kept Australia in the field until the second session before what had for some time looked obvious, the England lower order crumbled. Thechief destroyers this time were Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon.

England now head back east for the two big Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney with their collective tail between their legs. Australia will be looking hungrily for the 5-0 whitewash. Barring injuries to key players it's not out of the question, though England (or some of the team) fought gamely at times in this match. That sounds patronising, but there's only just over a week to reverse what, even with the second innings fightback, looks like a demoralised team. Matt Prior, Jimmy Anderson, Graeme Swann and yes Kevin Pietersen to name a few have  underperformed. They and the selectors will need to think hard about the composition of the Boxing Day Test XI. Surely they must make changes. Australia will only do so if injury makes them do so

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Boy picks up pieces of man's errand gone wrong to delay England defeat and Ashes loss until fifth day: T3D4

England 251 & 5/251 (67ov, Stokes 72*/96b/12x4, Bell 60/93b/1x6 7x4, Pietersen 45/57b/1x6 7x4) need  253 runs with 5 wkts in hand to beat Australia  385 & 6/369 dec (87 ov, Warner 112, Watson 103/108b/5x6 11x4, Rogers 54): T3/5 D4/5 at WACA, Perth.

Ben Stokes, whose batting in England's second innings  has shown more maturity and resolution than his top order teammates, is really all that is standing in the way of another England drubbing which will  surrender the Ashes to Australia.

The morning session was all Australia's. First they added 134 from 17 overs. Shane Watson, in limited overs mode, belted the England attack to complete a quickfire century (and silenced those who were concerned about his apparent inability to notch those numbers). He virtually threw away his wicket - Ian Bell dropping a not too difficult skied chance redeemed on the scoreboard (though not in spectators' minds) by bowler Tom Bresnan effecting a run out. Then, to complete England's discombobulation, George Bailey, another whose place in the Australian Test team had been questioned by some, whacked 39*/30b/3x3 3x4, including 28 from an already out of sorts Jimmy  Anderson before Michael Clarke declared, leaving England to bat for five and a bit sessions or score 500+.

Just when it looked as if the situation couldn't get any worse Ryan  Harris bowled Alistair Cook with the first ball of England's innings. Michael Carberry and Joe Root hung on until lunch and for a time thereafter but neither mastered the tight Australian attack, each building a foundation but getting out for 31 and 19 respectively.

At 3/76 Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell began what needed to be at least a double century partnership if England were to survive. They hadn't put on 50 before Pietersen let himself go and was well caught in the deep by Harris off Nathan Lyon. Bell and Stokes added 99 before Bell fell foul of the DRS - Snicko indicated an edge to the keeper. Stokes and Matt Prior saw out a day where England's deficiencies were once again exposed by an Australian eleven which has continued to play consistently above the standard I expected from them before the start of the series.

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England lose grip on Ashes as they unravel in continuing Perth heatwave: T3D3

Australia 385 & 3/235 (70ov, Warner 112/140b/2x6 17x4, Rogers 54/135b/8x4) lead England 251 ( 88ov, Cook 72, Siddle 3/36, Harris 3/48) by 369 runs with 7 2inns wkts in hand: T3/5 D3/5 at WACA, Perth.

Just about everything that could go wrong for England did today at the WACA: a lower order batting collapse against good quick bowling which handed Australia a lead of 134, followed by a below par response in the field to a 157 opening partnership dominated by the irrepressible David Warner. As if this wasn't enough injuries to Stuart Broad ( broken toe ) and Graeme Swann (hamstring) have reduced the England attack to three frontline bowlers (including Ben Stokes), though Australia surely won't bat much longer on D4. And yes, the Perth heat did not relent.

When England fell apart with the bat it seemed that part of the blame could be ascribed to the pitch, with its irregular bounce (Broad was lbw to a shooter which broke his toe) caused partly by some very wide cracks  (very obvious from spidercam pictures taken directly overhead). But in Australia's second innings it caused  little trouble as Warner and Chris Rogers tamed the England bowlers, who were let down badly in the field (eg Matt Prior was very poor behind the stumps and Alistair Cook missed a slip catch).

Yet Australia once again played exceedingly well: the quick bowlers combined well while Warner's brilliance at the head of the batting took the lead to 369. With two days still to play, and no respite  from the heat expected tomorrow, though a modest drop in temperature to 30C - not exactly a cool change- is forecast for Tuesday,  Australia should have plenty of time to wrap up the Test and series and wrest back The Ashes.

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